Juice is power. Juice is influence. Juice is also subjective. Each summer, sports columnist Steve Politi ranks the most influential people in New Jersey sports — a list that includes team owners, coaches, politicians and athletes from all levels of competition. No. 1 on the Juice List will be revealed Sunday morning. Today: Nos. 2-5.

The Most Influential People in New Jersey Sports: Nos. 2-5

Last year's ranking in parentheses

5. Lou Lamoriello (6): Can the Devils general manager build one more great team in his Hall of Fame career? He'll have to do it without Martin Brodeur, the foundation of his three Stanley Cup winners, and with an new ownership group that soon could get impatient with the franchise missing the playoffs as it tries to improve the bottom line.

4. Greg Brown (NR): Brown credits former Rutgers football coach Greg Schiano for getting him more involved in his alma mater. Make no mistake: If Rutgers needs to change coaches after its first season in the Big Ten, it will be the Motorola CEO – now the chairman of the Board of Governors – who makes the final decision on the next coach.

3. Chris Christie (1): The governor, who ranked No. 1 on this list in 2013, ended (for now) the hopes of bringing sports betting to New Jersey gambling houses when he vetoed a bill that would have repealed a state law barring it. It was an end-around of a federal law, but still a blow for the casino and horse racing industry.

2. John Mara (2): Mara signed his name to a bunch of checks this offseason, something he promises won't become a regular occurrence. Now, the Giants co-owner – left with egg on his face after declaring last year's team the most talented he had seen before its 0-6 start – will expect a return on his investment. And that means Tom Coughlin and Jerry Reese could be in his crosshairs.